Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. L. SHOENBERGER.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 348,243. Patented Aug. 31, 1886.

[N V EN 7 OR WIT/VZRFSES:

n PEYERS. Phciomhcgrmpher, Wammgmn, a. c.

Nirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LOUIS SHOENBERGER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,243, dated August31, 1886.

Application filed June 9, 1886.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, J OHN LOUIS Snonnnnn- GER, asnbj ect of the Emperorof Germany, and a citizen of the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darnr stadt, butnow residing in the city of Pittsbnrg, county of Allegheny, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gar-Couplers;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure I represents a side View of the inventionattached to a car, and partly in section; Fig. II, a plan View of thesame, and Fig. III a transverse section on the line 2 z of Fig. I.

The invention relates to that class of couplings in which adetachablepiece or bar couples automatically to each of two cars, but has to beuncoupled by hand, its object being to construct a simple and effectivedevice of the kind; and it consists in the construction and novelarrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawings,and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents the said detachablepiece or bar, rectangular in cross-section, provided with blunt conicalends a a, as shown in Figs. 1 and II,and having on its upper surface theprojections: A A. The bar A is symmetrical, the projections A beingequally distant from the center of the same or from the adjacent endsthereof. The ends a a are similar, and each end is adapted to couple toone of two cars in the same manner, so that the description of oneprojection A and the manner of coupling to one car alone is necessary.

a is a hollow space or chamber in the bar A below the projection A, andextending up into the lower part thereof, Fig. I, and a is a centralvertical bore through the upper part of said projection, which ispreferably made conical, as shown in Fig. I.

H is a hook pivoted upon the transverse rod h, having its ends securedin the side walls of the chamber a, and its point h extending downward.

G is a rod passing through the bore a of the extension A, and having itslower end bifurcated, so as to fit upon the upper edge of the hook H, towhich it is pivoted at Serial No. 204,665. (No model.)

g is a coil-spring surrounding the rod G,between the roof of the chambera and the bifurcated lower end of said rod, and acting to depress thepoint of the hook H.

g is a nut upon the threaded upper portion of the rod G. The said nutbrings up against the end of the projection A, so as to prevent the hookH from being depressed too far.

I is the end of a car having secured to its lower surface the bracket1', having in its arms i bearing for the journals of the vertical shaftD, and d is a horizontal arm or bar standing outward from the center ofsaid shaft and having secured to or made upon its outer end therectangular hollow box 0, forming part of the draw-bar proper. The outerend of said box is bifurcated,or provided with the similar side plates,0 0, each having an edge provided with a central rounded angle, 0, asseen in Fig. I. The point or angle of each of said plates enters and ispivoted between the plates 1) b on the sides of the inner end, Fig. If,ofa box-like piece, B, forming the outer portion of the draw-bar. Thepiece 13 is of general rectan gular shape, its top being cut away at 11Fig.

II, for the projection A to pass upward, and V i it is provided with aslot, 1), in its floor for the end of the hook H to engage in, therebyholding the piece A to the draw-bar. The piece B can be turned upward ordownward on the box 0. The plates 1), having shapes similar to those ofthe plates 0 and the drawbar, as a whole, can be turned laterally withthe shaft D.

c is a coiled spring secured to a plate attached to the inner surface ofthe inner end of the box 0, and having a buffer-plate, a", secured toits outer end. The said plate receives the impact of the point a whenthe bar A couples to the draw-bar,and the give of the spring a preventsbreakage by jar and loose play between the said bar A and the drawbar.

(1 d are similar blocks secured to the under surface of the car,andequally distant from the draw-bar on each side thereof.

F is a supporting-bracket having its side plates secured to the innersides of the blocks (1 and its transverse portion under the box 0, tosupport the same. E is a similar bracket,

similarly secured to the blocks (1 d, but with its transverse portionasuitable distance below the plate 13, and b is a coiled spring betweenthe said transverse portion. and the floor of said piece,which itsustains upon the former. c c are similar coiled springs between theside plates of the bracket E and the sides of the piece B,t0 support thelatter from the former and return it to the central portion thereof whenthe draw-bar has been turned laterally, as when the car has passed acurve.

The portion B is made free to turn up and down on the box 0, to enablethe piece or bar A to couple cars of different heights, and the wholedraw-bar is made to swing laterally, to enable the train to readily turncurves on either side.

In coupling the inclined point of the hook H is driven upward by theinclined outer edge of the floor of the piece B, and is held up till itcomes over the slot 1), into which the action of the spring 9 forces it.

If desired, a friction-roller may be pivoted to the end of the hook H,to make the parts work more easily upon each other, though this is notabsolutely necessary.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a car-coupler, the detachable coupling-bar, thespring-controlled hooks pivoted in chambers therein and operated bymeans substantially as described, and the hollow draw-bars, eachprovided with a slot for the engagement of one of said hooks,substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of the detachable coupling-bar, thespring-controlled hooks pivoted in chambers therein and operated bymeans substantially as described, the hollow draw-bars provided withslots for the engagement of the hooks, and the vertical oscillatingshafts pivoted in brackets secured to the cars and having the draw-barssecured to and movinglaterally with them, substantially as specified.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination of the detachable coupling-bar, thespring-controlled hooks pivoted in chambers therein and operated bymeans substantially as described, and

the draw-bars provided with slots for the engagement of said hooks andcomposed of two parts, the outer of which is pivoted'to the inner partso as to move up and down thereon, substantially as specified.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination, with the hollow draw-bars movinglaterally with the oscillating shafts D, and composed of the parts B andG, the former of which is arranged to swing up and down on the latterand has in its floor the slot 12 of the detachable coupling-bar A,provided with the chambers a, and having the hollow or bored projectionsA rising from it, the hooks H, pivoted within the chambers a, the rodsG, each pivoted to a hook, H, the springs g, and nuts 9', substantiallyas specified.

5. The combination of the draw-head connected to and swinging laterallywith the oscillations of the shaft D, and composed of the parts B O, theformer of which is arranged to swing upward and downward on the latter,with the blocks d d, the sustaining-blocks F E, and the coil-springs b c0 which sustain the part B of the draw-head in a proper position betweenthe arms of the bracket E, substantially as specified.

6. In a car-coupler,the combination of the detachable coupling-bar A,constructed substantially as specified, and the hooks H, pivoted withinchambers in said bar, with the laterally-movable hollow draw headcomposed of two parts, the outer of which swings up and down on theinner part and is provided with a slot for the engagement of one of thehooks pivoted upon the draw-head, the coilspring secured to the bottomof the recess of the draw-head, and the buffer-plate secured to the endof the said coil-spring to receive the impact of the detachablecoupling-bar and prevent breakage by jar in coupling, substantially asspecified.

JOHN LdUIS SHOENBERGER.

Witnesses:

LoUIs MOESER, Ie. STAUFFER.

